Best Mattress for Heavy People – What To Look For

If you’re in the market for a new mattress and weigh 200 pounds or more or you and your partner combined exceed 400 pounds, you’re going to want to take a moment to read the following information. Because of the increased pressure being applied regularly to the materials, there are certain aspects of a mattress to be on the lookout for to ensure you’ll find one that is able to offer you adequate support for a length of time that counts.

A Few Factors Regardless of Weight

Before we jump into specifics, let’s take a moment to cover a few key aspects of mattress shopping to keep in mind regardless of your weight.

Pressure relief

Proper alignment and support

Material preference

You need to be well aware of your needs when it comes to these aspects so you can be more specific as you shop. For example, if you really count on edge support, you may want to check out innerspring products.

Quick Sidenote

Terms like “heavy” and “overweight” are very general. You can easily weigh 200 pounds and be very muscular and fit. However, for the purposes of this guide, we’ll refer to “heavy” and similar terminology as anything over 200 pounds. This is because it’s at this weight when many mattresses will become compromised over time.

Importance of Quality Materials

When it comes to weight, one aspect that will be of particular importance is the quality of the materials used. When you apply a lot of weight to a mattress for a long period of time, certain degradations do occur. However, we’re going to discuss how you can learn to recognize the key things to look for in various material types on the market. In considering the products we’ll discuss in a minute, our teams recommendations are based on:

Material quality and durability

Support

Thickness

Heat Retention

We listed at least one mattress of each type so that you can choose the material you think you’d like the best

General Factors to Consider

Support

Proper support is a critical element, especially when you carry a lot of weight. Your body has different areas where it’s typical for more pressure to occur such as the shoulders and hips. However, there are other areas like the lumbar which are often thinner. You need to find a mattress that offers the combination of firm support beneath with quality comfort layers that will provide the comfort you need.

Edge Support

I’d be willing to bet you sometimes wake up and just aren’t quite ready to jump out of bed and face the day. You may sit on the edge for a few moments as you allow yourself to really wake up. Or maybe you have a habit of sitting on the edge of your bed as you watch television or fold laundry. If so, edge support is something you really need to consider as this will indicate the level of support you can expect. It can also help you get an idea of the level of support you can expect if you tend to sleep close to the edge of your mattress. Some mattresses I have tried out will bottom out, especially on the corners, when you sit on the edge. As you read reviews, therefore, be on the lookout for this term.

Mattress Thickness

You will find all kinds of mattress thicknesses out there. I’ve had everything from an eight inch to a 13 inch mattress, and it can be easy to overlook this feature until it’s too late. If you weigh less than 200 pounds, you can typically get by with a 10 inch mattress. However, if you exceed this weight, I would strongly recommend that you limit your options to those 12 inches and more. As someone who carries a lot of weight, it’s important that you’re able to take advantage of the deep compression support you can only get with a thicker product.

If you have your heart set on a product that’s less than 12 inches, check to see if there’s a feature that may offer added support such as an extra thick comfort layer. However, as a general rule of thumb, you’re going to typically go for a thicker mattress. While we are basing heavy as over 200 pounds, it’s worth noting that, the more you weigh, the more important deep compression support becomes.

Firmness Level

First, when analyzing your firmness level, it’s important to consider your preferred sleeping position. Those who sleep on their stomachs or backs often fare well with a medium to firm mattress while side sleepers often prefer theirs on the plusher end of the spectrum. The best bed for a larger person, in general, will feature a firmness in the mid to firm setting.

The more you weigh, the more you’re going to sink into the mattress. When it’s too soft, you may find that you sink more than you need to remain comfortable, which leads me to another important consideration.

Temperature Regulation

The deeper you sink into a mattress, the more it’s going to retain your body heat. Ideally, you want your body temperature to reduce just slightly in order to enter into the deeper stages of sleep. If you’ve ever woken up sweating, you know what a significant impact it makes when you have a mattress that’s not designed to keep you cool with consideration to your weight. Aside from looking for a higher firmness rating, there are a few other things to consider as you shop for a cool mattress:

Foam mattresses tend to sleep hotter than innersprings and hybrids

Traditional memory foam is known to trap air and sleep hot

Open cell memory foam, gels, and cooling layers can help facilitate air flow.

Products that feature these aspects on their web site have often put more effort into ensuring their products can cool easily. Talalay latex typically has an advantage over Dunlop latex in temperature regulation If temperature regulation is a particularly important factor for you, I encourage you to take a look at some of our top cool mattress contestants, where we test the effectiveness of the cooling properties with a thermal imaging camera.

Weight’s Impact on Body Temperature

The US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health reported on a study that revealed body weight doesn’t impact our core body temperature, and that’s not surprising. After all, if you feel like you’re sick, a temperature of more than 98.6 degrees would indicate a fever. However, what we’re more concerned with understanding is the fact that fat acts as an insulator. Therefore, the higher your body fat percentage, the more difficult it is for you to disperse heat. It all comes down to simple thermodynamics. In overweight and obese people, there exists a small surface area to volume ratio. Since heat is retained in the body and released through the skin, it’s easier for larger people to retain body heat. Thinner people, on the other hand, have a large surface area to overall volume ratio, allowing heat to more readily escape. That’s why, even if a larger person has low body fat, they may experience hotter sleep than someone smaller.

Feel

You’re also going to want to get an idea of how the mattress will feel as you’ll spend hours making direct contact. I personally enjoy how the use of natural products such as cotton enhances every sleeping experience as it’s typically very soft to the touch. As far as how the mattress feels to lay on, you need to know a few things about the comfort layer. There are many different materials out there, so let’s take a look at what you can expect with each of them.

Price

Here at The Sleep Judge, we’re all about helping you find the best deals on mattresses. However, it’s well worth noting that you get what you pay for. Especially if you carry a lot of weight, you will experience wear and tear over time. This is highly evident in the comfort layer. As you shop, beware of products that seem too good to be true. If you find a very low price, I’d encourage you to make extra efforts to find out these general consideration factors. If you have trouble finding a piece of information on the company’s website, this can often be a sign that they are trying to hide less-than-desireable information from consumers. A call to customer service can often provide you with all the information you need to know… both good and bad.

Bariatric Products

If you’re overweight, you may have heard of bariatric mattresses. These products are medically researched and typically more expensive than those which do not carry the name “bariatric.” However, you don’t have to make the extra investment in a bariatric product if you know what to look for in a mattress for heavy people. Unless you are severely obese, the proper and thorough use of this guide can usually help you arrive at a viable product for your specific needs.

Zoning Options

In some products like the all-natural My Green Mattress, consumers can enjoy the strategic placement of comfort zones to provide superior support for the hips, back and shoulders using the innerspring base unit.

The zones are located in the lower third, middle, and upper third of the product, and they help accommodate the three areas of the body which often cause discomfort.This would include the pelvic area where we typically carry the most weight; the lumbar area, which is typically thinner; and the shoulder area which is narrower and will sink in more easily due to the smaller surface area. If you find a product with this feature, it can prove very helpful in pressure relief and the achievement of comfort.

Memory Foam Mattress Considerations

A memory foam product can often be an ideal choice for sleepers over 300 lbs. This is because, generally speaking, they typically offer a high degree of support, and their visco-elastic properties allow for you to enjoy the pressure relief you get with that added hug and contour that memory foam is well-known for. We briefly discussed the fact that some memory foams are known to sleep hot. However, don’t allow this generalization to hinder you from further pursuing this excellent option. When you examine the website, check to see if they make a point of telling you how they solve this problem as it’s common for manufacturers to do so. You’ll often find that they add components such as copper or gel into the material or involve processes which helps mattress better manage proper temperature regulation.

Density Considerations

When dealing with memory foam, there’s a way you can estimate durability. This is through the product’s density. Heavy sleepers should limit their options to products featuring a density of no less than 5 lbs in the comfort layers. Anything less than this range will wear more quickly over time. It’s worth noting that, since the comfort layer is where most direct compression will occur, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to the specific density of these layers as the density of the product as a whole won’t offer you this information.

Best Memory Foam Mattress for Heavy People

Novosbed is a product made in Canada, and it incorporates the use of memory foam which can help offer the contour heavy people need in order to reduce pressure points. Scroll down for more information.

Hybrid Mattress Considerations

Hybrid products offer you many options, and this is because they can use both coils and layers of foam or a combination of different foam layers. This can prove to be the best mattress for overweight couples in that they can take advantage of a number of features specific to higher weights such as:

Good air flow

Good edge support

Better deep compression support

Good degree of bounce

Hybrids use more than one material type, and you’ll typically find foams and latex products that are combined with an innerspring unit. When we think of innerspring products, we typically associate them with support and bounce. Foams and latex, on the other hand, are commonly associated with hug and contour. The two apart are completely different products. However, when combined, they can complement one another in a way that brings to light their best qualities. As you analyze durability, keep the following densities in mind:

High density polyfoam- 1.5-1.8 lb/ft³

Memory foam- 4.5-5 lb/ft³

Best Hybrid Mattress for Heavy People

Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams latex mattress – This quality product is a personal favorite of mine. The Euro top cover was very comfortable to sleep on, and Dreamfoam works with you to customize the right firmness for you. Scroll down for more information.

Latex Mattress Considerations

Since it doesn’t absorb heat the way some memory foams do, latex can be a great option for heavy side sleepers who tend to sleep hot. Furthermore, while it doesn’t offer the bounce of a spring mattress, it typically features quick response to help you move around. If you don’t prefer the sharp contour of memory foam, you will appreciate the fact that latex offers a more rounded contour, better balancing sinkage and hug for heavier people.

Good Durability Expectation

While we typically look at density when determining if a mattress will prove to be durable, this doesn’t apply as much to latex. However, latex products feature good durability in general. As a heavy person, this can be a great feature considering the increased pressure you’ll be exerting on the product.

In a latex mattress, you will typically find softer layers on top with a firmer core, and this is done to help your body conform while relieving pressure points. In the comfort layer, latex really shines as it takes much longer for them to develop body impressions when compared with materials such as polyurethane foams and memory foams. While all foams soften over time, you can expect this process to be very gradual in latex foams. Not only does this provide heavy people with the durability they need in the comfort layer, but it can also save time and money.

Can Be Less Than 12 Inches

Ideally, heavy people want to shoot for a mattress no less than 12 inches. However, since you have a lower compression modulus with latex products, it’s usually okay if they are an inch or two below this standard. Compression modulus represents the ratio of mechanical stress to strain in an elastic material when that material is being compressed. In other words, it is the compressive force per unit area. Therefore, when you have a better understanding of the different materials on the market, you can more effectively find a product suited well for your unique weight requirements and body type.

Best Latex Mattress for Heavy People

Spindle- The Spindle mattress is a little different in that you put the foam layers together yourself when it arrives. This really allows you to see the quality for yourself. Scroll down for more information.

Innerspring Mattress Considerations

If you’re obese, then an innerspring mattress could be a great choice, but it can also be a terrible one. It all depends on the quality of the materials. Because of how they’re made, low-quality products can create pressure points and develop areas of inconsistent support. However, innerspring products do offer a high degree of edge support and heat transfer. For your needs, I would opt to go with a coil on coil construction. This means that two layers of springs are used to improve feel, support, and deep compression.

I recently had the chance to try out a very high-quality innerspring model in the Avocado mattress. This product is in the right firmness level to accommodate heavier people, and its support coil system is among the most advanced available. Since the coils float independently, you can benefit from improved airflow, motion transfer reduction, support and spinal alignment.

Organic Mattress Considerations

One final type of mattress we need to cover is the organic mattress. Generally speaking, organic products often feature excellent durability, and this can be a very good thing for heavy people. You can also help reduce your carbon footprint and make efforts to improve the state of our environment. I would like to warn you that many companies will say they are eco-friendly, but this is often merited through the use of just a small eco-component such as a one inch comfort layer. Just make sure you do your research to ensure the product truly is organic; you can find our recommendations here. Also look for certifications such as:

OEKO-Tex

GOLS

Greenguard

eco-INSTITUT

Best Organic Mattress for Heavy People

Avocado mattress– This product is handcrafted in the USA without petroleum-based polyurethane foam, toxic flame retardants, or dangerous pesticides. Scroll down for more details.

Reviews of the Best Mattresses For Heavy People

Novosbed

Overview

Multiple Firmness Levels

Memory Foam and Polyfoam Mattress

We recommend the medium firmness for heavy people because of the higher density in the comfort layer at 5lbs/ft3.

The medium Novosbed mattress is a great example of a memory foam mattress for heavy people. For starters, it falls perfectly within the typical spectrum as far as firmness goes for those who are heavy. You can also take advantage of a strong support system. Furthermore, this product is constructed with thousands of air channels that help to keep your body temperature cool as you sleep. While this product is 11 inches, this is a great example of a mattress less than 12 inches thick that makes up for the extra inch in added support and comfort with the heavier sleeper in mind.

Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams Latex Mattress

Overview

Latex and Polyfoam mattress

Support layer has a higher density than most in its class at 2.0lbs/ft3

The Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams latex mattress is a hybrid product I recently had the chance to try out, and I would strongly recommend it as one that could be a great choice for heavy people. It’s worth mentioning that Dreamfoam does discourage use if you weigh more than 300 pounds. However, if you’re in the 200 to 300 pound range, there are a number of properties I think you’re going to love such as:

Spindle

Overview

All Latex Mattress

Great Price for an all latex mattress

The Spindle mattress is a great example of an all-latex product that’s suitable for heavy people. On this product, you’ll find that the firmness availability is great for heavier people as they only offer medium and firm. The company does allow for you to take advantage of customization to ensure they get the right product for you considering your weight and other key aspects. When you receive your mattress, you get the three foam pieces and cover wrapped up separately, and it’s up to you to put the final product into the cover and zip it up. Since the company doesn’t have to do it for you, you get to take advantage of the resulting cost savings on overhead. I have had the chance to try this product, and I found that it offered a great combination of overall support and comfort.

Avocado

OVerview

Organic

Latex and 3 Zone Pocketed Coil

I had the chance to use the Avocado mattress, and I think it features quite a few qualities that would be important to someone who carries a lot of weight. For starters, the four inches of eco-INSTITUT certified Dunlop latex is on the firmer end of the medium spectrum, and this ensures you don’t sink in too much. The product is also highly durable and features a half inch of Joma® New Zealand Wool which acts as a natural fire retardant while providing soft comfort. This product even goes the extra mile in placing a final one inch layer of high density Dunlop latex beneath the pocketed-coil innerspring unit for added support.

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